Metal shaping machine



METAL SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 20, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l /N VENTORS.

March 1, 1932. A E. ROBINSON ET AL.

METAL SHAP I NG MACHINE Filed Aug. 20, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 8 s a 5 5 Z 2 6 1 2 v 6 5 4 Z 7 7 fl w mm m% 7 V l 2 n a M I {Lfi 6 Q a 6 w "w 0 M m o a 4 o 4 0 MU L U 11 m 5 E Z 7 l 00 Z 3 a 5 9M 3 3 IN VE N T025:

4 $heet eet METAL SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 20 1928 March 1, 1932 March 1, 1932 A. E. ROBINSON ET AL 1,847,446

METAL SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 20. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 55 57-&

r I? H 84 Patented Mar. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES ALBERT E. ROBINSON, OF OINCINNATIQAND .WILLIAM L. SCHELLENBACH,

I OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN V OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO 'roor. woRxs' COMPANY, or CINCINNATI,

METAL SHAPING MACHINE Application filed August 20, 1928. Serial No. 300,873. I

Our invention relates to shaping machines for shaping metal, and it is the ob ect of our invention to provide new and usefulimprovements for supporting and for guiding the work supporting table in a machine of this character.

Work supporting tables in machines of this character are usually heavy structures, and the work supported thereon is also likely to be a heavy structure, the table usually overhanging from the front of the mach ne, and being 7 adjustable up and down on guldeways between the inner end of the table and the frame or column of the machine. The table is also usually adjustable or feedable laterally on the frame or column, on guideways extending laterally between the inner end of the table andthe frame or column; The table and the work supported thereon is likely to droop, due to the weight thereof, and in usual structures great strains are exerted upon the laterally extending guideways in adjusting the table laterally, and in feeding the table laterally for feedingmovements between the proximate work and the reciprocating tool.

Attempts have been made to support the outer end of the table for supplementing the guideways at the inner end of the table without however, correcting or minimizing'the stresses due to the weight of the table and the Work thereon.

outer end of the table so arranged as to slightly raise the outer. end of thetable for relieving the stresses due to weight upon the inner endof the table, after the. adjustments to positions of the table have been made. I

It is the object of our invention further to provide novel relief means for relieving the stresses upon the laterally extending guideway's for the table.

The invention will be furtherreadily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in whiohlatter: i s

Fig. 1 is aside elevation'of so much of, a. metal shaping. machine as isnecessa-ry to illustrate our invention, the shaping machine being partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a front elevationof the same, partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the front upright removed.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectionof the same, taken on the line 44 of-Figi2, partly broken away, and the outer guiding means shown in side elevation.

i 5 is a rear elevation of the upper p Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the irregular line 6--6 of Fig. 2, a'ndshowing the relieving parts in clamped relations.

Fig. 7 IS a similar View, showing the relieving parts in unclamped relation; and,

F i'g. 8 is a horizontal section ofa detail,

taken in the plane of the line 8 8 of F ig.-6.

The frame of the machine is represented at 11. Its column is provided with guideways 12 at its top, in which a tool-ram l3 reciprocates back and forth, the tool-ram having an adjustable tool-slide 14 at its forward'end, to whioha shaping-tool 15 is secured in usual manner suitable power means being provided for reciprocating theram and feeding the tool-slide, whichlattermay also be manually adjusted. The path of the tool-ram may also be adjusted back and forth in suitableand usual manner. V The front of the frame is providedwith vertical guides 21 on which aflcross-railz22 is adjustable up and down, the cross-railbeingprovided with vertical guidew'ays 23 compleinental to the guides 21. I Suitable means are provided for adjusting the cross-rail up anddowmeither manually orby power, as

may be desired, illustrated as comprising a vertical screw 24 fixed in a step-bearing 25 on the basev 26 of the frame. The screw is threaded in a rotatable nut 27 j ournaledin the cross-rail and having a bevel-gear2 8 rigid thereon. A bevel-gear 29 meshes with the bevel-gear 28, and is fixed to an adjusting shaft 30, journaled in bearings in the crossrail, and provided with rotating means, shown as a squared end 32, arranged for receiving a suitable adjusting wrench.

A work supporting table is arranged to be moved laterally on the frame. Thus the cross rail is exemplified as provided with an upper guide 85 and lower guide 36. A saddle 87 is provided with a complemental upper guide 38 and a complemental lower guide 39. The upper guides are represented as angular and as having upper, rear and front guide faces, part of the rear guide faces being on an adjustable gib 40. The lower guides are exemplified of dove-tail form, the guide 89 being on an adjustable gib. Upper and lower upright guides 41,. 42, respectively are exemplified on the front face of the cross-rail and the rear end of the saddle.

The table is exemplified as a universal table. The saddle is shown provided with a forwardly extending trunnion 45 about which there isa table 46, having a suitable number of work-securing surfaces. The table is provided with bearings 47, 48, about the trunnion, and with an end bearing face 49 complem'ental to the end bearing face 50 on the saddle. The trunnion is provided with an annular rack 51, with which a worm 52 meshes. The worm is fixed to an. adjusting shaft 53, journaled in bearings in the table, and provided with means for rotating the same, exemplified as a squared end 54 arranged to receive a suitable wrench.

The front end of the trunnion is provided with an apron 55, having an annular end hearing face 56, against the annul r end bearing face- 57 of the table. Clamp studs 58 are received through holes in the apron and in threaded holes intheend of the trunnion. Nuts 59 received about the outer threaded ends of the studsare arranged" to clamp the table between the end bearing face 50 on the saddle and said apron.

. A supplemental work supporting table 60 is adjustable onthe table 46 in suitable manner.

The work supporting table'is arranged to support the work, represented at 61, suitably fixed to the supplemental table or to the main table. The table or work support is a universal table, although the same may be a simple table ofusual form or of other suitable structure without departing from the spirit of'my invention as stated in the accompanying claims. f k j In the usual operation of a machine of this character, the table is caused to be moved laterally with relation to the frame, this lateral movement being represented as taking place on the crossrail. This lateral movementof the table'may be an adjusting movement, for placing the table laterally adjusted position, or feeding movements for successively placing new parts of the work in coactive relation with the reciprocating tool.

The means exemplified for this purpose comprise a feed-screw journaled in bearings 66 in the cross-rail and threaded in a nut 67 fixed to the saddle. The feed-screw may be manually rotated in suitable manner, as by means ofa suit-able wrench received over the square end 68 of the feed-screw,or may have intermittent feeding movements imparted thereto in either direction by any usual power feeding means, indicated generally by the numeral 69. The feeding mechanismmay be such for instance as shown and described in United'States Letters Patent No. 1,637,969, granted August 2, 1927, on the application of A. M. Sosa, for feeding mechanism for metal working machinery.

During such lateral movements of the table, in the present exemplification, the guides at the rearof the saddle move laterally along the guides on'the front of the cross-rail. The table overhangs the'cros'srail or forward end of the frame, sothat great binding stresses are exerted upon these guides,lmaking it difficult to obtain such lateral movements, and causing great stresses upon the parts, and theeXpenditure ofrgreat power in effecting suchmovemen'ts, especially in heavy types of machines. Means for relieving such strains or counteracting or minimizing the same will now be described.

The forward end of the table is provided with a guideway 71; This guideway is represented in a lower extension 72 of the apron 55. One of the walls of this guideway is shown as a gib 73 secured to the lower end of the apron by means of bolts 74.

An outer support for the table is shown as an upright support 75. 7 It is shown as an ymeans of bolts .78 received through holes in the lower end of the upright support and threaded into the foot-piece for rigidly fixing the upright'support to the base. Locating pins 79 are between these parts. t

A guide 84'for supporting the front end of the table is adjustably secured to the upright support, and means 7 are provided for complementally adjusting the guide for re lieving the strains between the table and the cross-railor frame of the machine.

.In the exemplification shown for accomplishing this purpose there is a guide-bar 85. The guide-bar is provided with a groove 86, which has a lower wall 87 and an upper wall 88. These, wallsslant upwardly and outwardly and are complemental to similarly slanting lower and upper walls 89, 90, on the guide 84, which has lower and upper guidefaces 91, 92, complemental tothe lower and upperfguide-faces 93, 94, ofthe guideway 71 over the outer end of thestuds, for clamping plemental walls 113, 114, on the guide and the guide-bar respectively in the bottomof the groove 86 in the guide-bar. These springs normally separate these walls and cause the slanting faces on the guide to move slantingly downward on the slanting faces on the guide-bar. See Fig. 7 These complementa-lfaces ,are normally in contact with each other when the parts are in clamped relation for fixingthe distance of rise of the outerend of the table; (See Fig. 6).

This separated; relation between the guide and the =guide-bar is, the normal relation be-v tween these parts during vertical adjustment of the table. When this vertical. adjustment has beenefiected, theguide-bar is clamped in adjusted positionto the upright support by screwing' upthejnuts 103, for fixing the elevation of the slanting faces 87, 88, on the guide-bar. r V r c The nuts 10'? are thereupon tightened, therebydrawing the guide toward the guidebar, and causing the inclined walls on'the guide to climb upwardly on the inclined walls of the-'guide-bar for raising thefiguide, and thereby correspondingly raising the outer or overhanging end of the table. This results in relief upon the guide faces'betwecn the tableand the frame of the machine, or specifically the guide-faces'between the saddle and the cross.-rail, and relieves the pressure between said guide faces dueto therweight of is sufficient to relieve the binding stresses between the laterally extending guideways which support the tableat; the inner end of the same, and counteract a drooping tendency of the table and the work thereon, and, insures accuracy in the work performed bythe machine, and ease of operation of. the" parts.

The amount ofsuch relief is in practice usual- 1y definite.

The, stud 105 is provided with a shoulder 117 received in an enlargement 118 at the outer end of each of the holes 106. This shoulder has slight axial movement in said enlargement between the bottom of said enlargement andthe uprightsupport 75, and limits the separating movements between the guide and the guide-bar. There is preferably an upright space 119 between the bottom of the guide groove 71 and the inner end of the guide, to permit movementof the guide toward and from said bottom during the relative movements between the guide and the guide-bar.

In operation, assuming that work has been performed on the machine, and that it is desired to change the elevation of the table, the nuts 103, 107, are released; Releasing the nuts107 permits the guide to recede from the guide-bar and permits lowering of the guide with relation to the guide-bar, the receding of the guide from the guide-bar being aided by the springs 111.: The release of the nuts 103, 107 releases-the clamped relation between the guide, the guide-bar and the upright sup- I The table may now be adjusted vertically by rotation of the adjusting shaft 24. 'During such adjustment, the guide and the guidebar will move to corresponding elevation with the table on the upright support, the studs tion to the upright support. After the guide-bar has been securely clamped to the upright support. the nuts 107 are drawn taut, whereby the guide is moved in its guide slot in the guide-bar and the outer end of the table is elevated'by reason of the inclined form of the guide faces 89, 90, on the guide and the slanting supplemental faces 87, 88, on the guide-bar, whereby the-guide is slightly raised, and the guide and the guidebar and the upright support are firmly clamped together. i Y

7 1 This results in'slight elevationof the outer end of the table and a-slight upward tilting of the table toward-the frame so as to relieve the undue pressure, due to theweight of the table and the work, from the laterally ex: tendingguide faces between the'table-and the frame, andtlevels the outer end of the table with the inner endof the same, and counteracts thepr'e'ssure of the tool upon the work, and permits more accurate work to be performed; r

The extent of this correcting elevation of the outer end of the table by this supplemental elevating means is definite, due to the climbing of the upwardly outwardly inclined faces 89, 90, on the compleinental faces 87, 88, to the extent of the movement of the shoulder 117 from the bottom wall to the outer end of the recess 118, or to the contact relation of the complemental walls 113, 114;, exemplified by a comparison of Figs. 7 and 6.

The coaction between the inclined faces causes a raising of the guide 84, thereby rais ing the guideway 71 and the outer end of the table-a definite amount, after the guide-bar 85 has been clamped in place on the upright support 75, upon completion of the adjustment to elevation'of the table by means of the screw 24. I v

This supplemental elevating of the outer end of the table is from a normal sagging condition of the outer end of the table, which is the same throughout all adjustments to elevation of the table.-

This definite supplemental elevating of the outer end of the table from its normal sagging relation after clamping of'the guide .bar, relieves the'binding pressure'there' would otherwise be on the guides 35, 36, 41,42, in the transverse feeding movements of the saddle, and avoids danger of insuflicient relief, ,andalso of undue amount of upward tilting of the outer end of the table which would result in binding stresses in opposite direction on the guides 35, 36, 41.

The operation of the machine may there'- upon proceed with great relief of manual or power adjusting or feeding stresses between the table and its laterally extending guides.

By means of our improved'device the laterally extending guiding means for the table are relieved of binding stresses, greater accuracy in work is obtained, and agreat saving in power is accomplished, and wear on the parts is greatly reduced.

Having thus fully described our invention", what we claim as new, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent, is: r

1. In a metal shaping machine, the combination of a frame, a table overhanging from said frame, upright guiding means and adjusting means between the inner end of said table and said frame for adjusting said table to elevation, laterally extending guiding means and adjusting means between the inner end of said table and said frame forlaterally translating said table, an upright sup-, port for the outer end of said table, a connected laterally extending guide-bar and guide movable elevationally on said upright support and said guide having laterally extending supporting guide and'slide connection with said outer end of said table, so that said guide-bar and guidemove up and down on said upright support with the elevational adjustments of said table, and means clamping said guide-bar to said upright support upon completion of said elevational adjustments, said guide and guide-bar provided with supplemental elevating means elevating said guide on said guide-bar and thereby elevating said laterally extending slide connection between said guide and the outer end of said table.

2, In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a frame, a cross-rail, means foradjusting said cross-rail to height on said frame, a saddle, means for guiding and feeding said saddle laterally on said cross-rail, said saddle comprising a trunnion overhangingfrom said saddle, a table adjustable about said trunnion, an apron at the outer end of saidtable, means securing said apron to said trunnion, said apron provided with a laterally extending guide, an outboard upright support at the outer end of said table, a secondlaterally extending guide and a support therefor on said outboard upright support having continuous operative connection with said first-named guide for adjustments thereof up and down on said outboard upright support with the up and down adjustments of said cross-rail, securing means securing said second-named support in said adjusted positionsto said outboard upright support, said second-named support and said second-named laterally extending guide having inclined faces between them inclined in directions intersecting the axis of said trunnion to cause upward movement ofsaid second-named laterally extending guide by shifting movement between said inclined faces, and means to'c'ause said shifting movement. v V

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, a base, a table overhanging said base from said frame, adjusting means for adjusting said table to elevation on said frame, means including later- 7 ally extending guides for laterally feeding said table on said frame, the outer end of said table having a natural droop with relation to the inner end of said table on said laterally extending guides, an upright support on said base at the outer end of said table, an anchoring part thereon having laterally extending slide connection with the outer end of said table and connection in up and down direction with said outer end for adjustment of said anchoring part to elevation with said table, releasable securing means between said anchoring part and said upright support arrangedfor securing said anchoring part to said .uprightsupport.upon each completed adjustment to elevation of said table, and supplemental raising means between said anchoring part and said outer end of said table effective after such secured relation of eanne said anchoring part to said upright support, said supplemental raising meanscomprising coacting faces, and means for causing shifting movement between said coacting faces, the directions of said coacting faces being such as to cause change in elevation between, said outer end of said table and said anchoring part upon such shifting movement between said coacting faces for counteracting rsuch natural. droop of said outer end of said table;

4. In a machine of the characterdescribed, the combination of a frame, a base, a table overhanging "said base from said frame, adjusting means for adjusting said table to elevation on said frame, means including laterally extending guides for laterally feeding said table on said frame, the outer end of said table having a naturaldroop with relation'to the inner end of said table on said laterally extending guides, an upright support on said base at the outer end of said table, an anchoring part thereon having laterally extending slide connection with the outer end of said table and connection in up and'down direction with said outer end for adjustment of said anchoring part to elevation with said table, releasable securing means between said anchoring part and said upright support arranged for securing said anchoring part to said upright support upon each completed adjustment to elevation of said table, and supplemental raising means between saidanchoring part and said outer end of said table effective after such secured relation of said anchoring part to said upright support, said supplemental raising means comprising coacting faces and means for causing shifting movement between said coacting faces, the directions of said coacting faces being such as to cause change in elevation between said outer end of said table and said anchoring part upon such shifting movement between said coacting faces, and a stop for limiting such movement between said coacting faces.

5. In a shaping machine, the combination of a frame, a table overhanging said frame, adjust-ing means for adjusting said table to elevation on said frame, means including laterally extending guides for laterally feeding said table on said frame, an upright outboard support for the outer end of said table, a laterally extending guide having supporting guide connection with the outer end of said table, a guide-bar, said guide and said guide-bar having coacting inclined faces connecting said guide and said guide-bar in upright direction, arranged for elevational movement of said guide and said guide-bar with said table, releasable securing means between said guide-bar and said upright outboard support for fixing said guide-bar to said upright outboard support upon completed adjustment to elevation of said table, and means between said guide-bar and said guide relatively shifting the same along said inclined faces for imparting supplemental elevation to the outer end of said table.

6'.- In a shaping machine, the combination of a frame, a table overhangingsaid frame, adjustingmeans for adjusting said table to elevation .on said frame, means including laterally extending guides for laterally feed.- ing said table on said frame,an upright, outboard support at the'outer end of said table, a laterallyextending supporting guide between-the outer end of said table and said uprightoutbo'ard support, a guide-bar interposed between said guide and said upright outboard support, saidguide and said guidebar having, coacting supporting inclined wedge faces betweenvthem, said connections between said outer end of said table, said guide and said guide-bar causing combined elevational movements of said outer end of said table, said guide and said guide-bar, means for clampingsaid guide-bar to said upright outboard support in such elevational positions, and clamping means between said guide and said guide-bar causing wedging movement between said wedge faces for supplemental elevation of saidguidewith relation to said guide-bar-causing supplemental raising of the'outer end of said table, and resilient means between said guide and said guide-barcausing unwedging movement between'said wedge faces. a r

7.- In a shaping machine, the combination of a frame, a table overhanging said frame, adjusting means for adjusting said table to elevation on said; frame, means including laterally extending guides for-laterally feedingsaidtable onsaid frame, an upright outboard support on the outer end of said table, a laterally extending supporting-guide between: the outerend of said table and said upright outboard support,- a guide-bar interposed between said guideand said upright outboard support, said'guide'and said guidebar having coacting supporting inclined wedge faces between them, said connections between said outer end of. said table,-said guide and said guide-bar causingcombined elevational movements of saidouter end of said table, said guide and said guide-bar,

means for clamping said guide-bar to said upright outboard support in such elevational positions, clamping means between said guide and saidguide-barcausing wedging movement between said wedgefaces for supplemental elevation of said guide with relation tosaid guide-bar causing supplemental raisingof'theouter end of said table, resilient means between said guide and said guide-bar causing unwedging movement betweensaid wedge faces, and limiting means for the latter. c

' 8. In mechanism of the character described,

the combination of a 'frame,-a table overhanging'from said frame, upright guiding means andadj usting means between the inner end of said table and said frame,'laterally extending guidingmeans between said frame and the inner end of said table, the outer end of said table provided with a laterally extending guide part, laterally extending guide coacting therewith, a guide-bar, said guide and said guide-bar having wedge faces between them, the connections between said guide part, guide and guide-bar being such as to cause elevational movement of said guide-bar with said table, an upright outboard support for the outer end of said table, clamping means between said guide-bar'and said upright outboard support for clamping said uide-bar in elevational positions to said upright outboard support, and clamping means between said guide, said guide-bar and said upright outboard support, clamping said guide and said guide-bar to said upright outboard support and causing wedgingmovement between said wedge faces for supplemental elevation of said outer end of said table.

9. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a frame, a table overhanging from said frame, upright guiding means and adjusting means between the inner'end of said table and said frame, laterally extending guiding means between said frame and the inner end of said table, the outer end of said table provided with a laterally extending guide part, a laterally extending guide coacting therewith, a guide-bar, said guide and said guide-bar having wedge faces between them, the connections'between said guide part, guide and guide-bar being such as to cause elevational. movement of said guide-bar with said table, an upright outboard support for the outer end of said table, clamping means between said guide-bar and said upright outboard support for clamping said guide-bar in elevational positions to said upright outboard support, clamping means between said'guide, said guide-bar and said upright outboard support, clamping said guide and said guide-bar to said upright outboard support and causing wedging movement between said wedge faces for supplemental elevation of said outer end of said table, and means limiting unwedging movement between said guide and said guide-bar.

10. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a frame, a table overhanging from said frame, upright guiding means and adjusting means between the inner end of said table and said frame, laterally extending guiding means be'tween said frame and the inner end ofsaid table, the outer end of said table provided with a laterally extending guide part, a laterally extending guide coacting therewith, a guide-bar, said guide and said guide-bar having wedge faces between them, the connections between said guide part, guide and guidesbar being w such as to cause elevational movement ofsaid guide-bar with said table, an upright outboard support for the outer end of said table, clamping means between said guide-bar and said upright outboard support for clamping said guide-bar in elevational positions to said upright outboard support, and clamping means between said guide, said guide-bar and said upright outboard support, clamping said guide and said guide-bar to said upright outboard supportvand causing wedging movement between said wedge faces for supplemental elevation of said outer end of said table, and resilient means between said guide and said guide-bar causing separatin movement between said guide and said gulde-bar. In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names.

ALBERT E. ROBINSON.

WVILLIAM L. SCHELLENBACH 

